We’re going to see a whole lot of players added to 40-man rosters in advance of tonight’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft. We will use this post to track those contract selections from American League teams that are not otherwise covered on the site.
AL West:
- The Athletics made just one addition to the 40-man roster, righty Daulton Jefferies, which resulted in the DFA of righty Jharel Cotton (more on that move here).
- The Rangers will add at least four players to their 40-man, per MLB.com’s TR Sullivan (via Twitter). Infielder Sherten Apostel, outfielder Leody Taveras, and hurlers Demarcus Evans and Tyler Phillips are all reportedly set to get a slot. Taveras is the most exciting name of this bunch; by the reckoning of some observers, he’s one of the club’s best prospects. Apostel came over in the Keone Kela trade. The two pitchers are upper-minors arms who could contribute in 2020.
- There’s 40-man movement elsewhere in Texas as well. Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the Astros have tacked on four players: Taylor Jones, Cristian Javier, Enoli Paredes, and Nivaldo Rodriguez. The last of those is the one that came from the farthest reaches of the prospect map (half a season of High-A ball); clearly, the ’Stros see him as an up-and-comer and were worried other teams would as well. Jones had a strong season at Triple-A and could fight for a bench spot. Javier and Paredes could be in the MLB bullpen mix after running up the farm ladder with high strikeout rates in 2019.
- The Angels have selected second baseman/outfielder Jahmai Jones and lefty Hector Yan, according to the club. Both players (Jones – No. 6; Yan – No. 17) rank among the Angels’ top 20 prospects at MLB.com. The 22-year-old Jones is a 2015 second-rounder who spent the past two seasons at the Double-A level, where he hit .234/.308/.324 in 544 plate appearances in 2019. Yan, a 20-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, rose to Single-A ball this past season and notched a 3.39 ERA/3.17 FIP with a whopping 12.22 K/9 against 4.29 BB/9 over 109 innings.
AL Central:
- The Twins have selected the contracts of righties Jhoan Duran and Dakota Chalmers, outfielders Gilberto Celestino and Luke Raley, and infielder/outfielder Travis Blankenhorn, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com tweets. Three of those players – Duran (No. 9), Celestino (No. 20) and Blankenhorn (No. 23) – rank among the Twins’ top 25 prospects at MLB.com.
- Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports that the Tigers have selected the contracts of infielder Isaac Paredes; outfielders Daz Cameron and Derek Hill; and right-handers Beau Burrows, Kyle Funkhouser and Anthony Castro. Each of Paredes, Cameron, Burrows, Funkhouser and Castro are ranked inside the organization’s Top 20 prospects at MLB.com, while Hill checks in at 28th. Cameron, Hill, Burrows and Funkhouser were all top 50 picks in the MLB Draft at one point.
- Kansas City’s slate of additions was accompanied by four DFAs, as detailed here. The Royals added lefty Foster Griffin, right-hander Carlos Hernandez, shortstop Jeison Guzman and outfielder Nick Heath to the 40-man roster this afternoon.
- Seven players were added to the White Sox’ 40-man roster today, per a club announcement: catcher Yermin Mercedes, outfielder Blake Rutherford, left-hander Bernardo Flores Jr. and right-handers Zack Burdi, Dane Dunning, Matt Foster and Jimmy Lambert. Burdi and Dunning, in particular, are well-regarded pitching prospects on the mend from Tommy John surgery. Rutherford, a former first-round pick, was a key trade acquisition who was protected despite a lackluster season in Double-A and in the Arizona Fall League.
AL East:
- Infielder Santiago Espinal and righty Thomas Hatch were the Blue Jays’ pair of roster additions on Wednesday. Toronto jettisoned Tim Mayza and Justin Shafer from the 40-man roster in a pair of corresponding moves, as explored at greater length here.
- The Orioles announced that they’ve selected the contracts of left-hander Keegan Akin, right-hander Dean Kremer, infielder/outfielder Ryan Mountcastle and outfielder Ryan McKenna. Mountcastle, a former first-rounder, has long been considered among the organization’s most promising minor leaguers. Akin posted a down year in Triple-A in 2019 but has generally been successful and is viewed as a near-MLB ready arm.
- The Red Sox have added infielders C.J. Chatham and Bobby Dalbec, outfielder Marcus Wilson, and lefties Kyle Hart and Yoan Aybar to their 40-man, the team announced.The most hyped farmhand there is Dalbec, whom MLB.com ranks as the Red Sox’s second-best prospect. The 24-year-old reached the Triple-A level for the first time in 2019 after obliterating Double-A pitching, and he posted a .257/.301/.478 line with seven home runs and 29 strikeouts against just five walks over 123 trips to the plate.
Anderson Tejeda
Eli White
Andy Ibanez
Reid Anderson
Kyle Cody
Abdiel Mendoza
Scott Engler
All unprotected by Texas
If I’m a GM- I’m taking Ibanez first. He hit 20 home runs with a .300/.375/.497 batting line in Triple-A. He’s older, but he’s major league ready. At 27 years old in April, you’d control him inexpensively through his age 32 season. That’s the remainder of his prime right there.
That’s not a fantastic line for AAA last year given the average AAA slash line in 2019
I would argue that it was better than average. I can see him being at least a 4th outfielder for someone like the O’s or Royals, easy. Also, they didn’t use juiced balls in AAA if I remember correctly
they used the same balls as MLB in the PCL i believe
Not likely the Orioles would take him. OF is one area they have some depth. Hays is expected to start the year in CF, you still have Santander in LF, and, depending on what happens with Davis, Mancini in RF. Mountcastle will likely be up at some point, he’s either a 1B or a LF. Diaz, if he has a decent year in AAA, could be an option and Mullins is still around. Not to mention Mckenna.
The Orioles major need is more IF help. Martin, last year’s big Rule 5 addition, is likely in the minors to start next season, and Villar is no lock to be back.
I don’t know the names listed above, any of them middle infield types?
Andy Ibanez natural position is 2B
krillin, you’d be correct but not by much. Ibanez had a 112 wRC+ in AAA in 2019.
@Phillies2017 , they did protect Cody and Tejada
Apostel seems like someone who could have been left exposed. quite young and didnt exatcly tear up the middle minors last year.
Apostel is considered the rangers 8th overall prospect. They wouldn’t let him off.
teams dont draft for upside alone. he’s still very raw.
As a Pirates fan who followed Apostel as he tore up the dominican league, I was a little surprised he was protected based on how far he is from the majors and his 1b/dh profile. That being said I think he will probably hit very well every step through the minors and move fairly quickly up to MLB.
For Houston, I like Tyler Ivey.
AA 46 IP 1.57 ERA, 3.32 FIP
Ivey isn’t Rule 5 eligible, though.
I didn’t think he was. He’s a 2017 draft pick I think.
DeMarcus Evans is definitley a player to keep an eye out for.
He throws gas, he and emmanuel clase were both supposed to come up last september, but it was only clase. Though clase did prove himself to be a good late inning guy, so i’d like to see the same from evans.
All four of the guys listed for Texas are their higher ranked prospects.Though I’d like to see Eli White back in Texas too, since he was the piece we got from Oakland in the Profar trade last year.
simply having not gotten negative value on return for Profar will be a win in the end.
White was ONE of the pieces we received. Burke and the $750k slot money were significant additions too; yes, White is the player from Oakland…but it was a 3 way trade…we need pitching not more/another SUT players.
The BlueJays could drop Maile, Fisher, Pannone, and Derek Law from their 40 man and it wouldn’t change the results of the 2020 team performance.
i think you mean it would improve it
Valera, Merryweather, Murphy…
This should be an exciting couple of days. I see the Red Sox being active in the trade market here, as they only have 34 players on their 40 man roster and only need to protect 3 or 4 players. Plus they have 5-6 players on the 40 man who they could waive. I’m guessing we see Chaim Bloom work his magic here and trade some younger prospects (who don’t need to be protected) for some MLB ready prospects who can’t be fit into other 40 man rosters.
Dorothy Mantooth, you’re a saint.
Chaim will probably steal all the prospects the Rays cant protect. now that should be interesting.
Doesn’t seem like “stealing” if they’re readily available for claiming. Seems like Bloom is being overly lauded for engaging in standard practices. Just sayin’.
Lol you’re so joyless
willing to bet Akin cracks Baltimore’s OD roster.
CWS really no surprises I guess….never have understood why Mercedes hasn’t made it to an MLB roster. He a career .300 hitter and looks to be a decent defensive catcher throwing out .40%.
im surspised so many thought they had an actual chance of leaving Rutherford off the 40 man. incredible how easily one can encounter prospect fatigue.
Look forward to Mercedes getting shot to earn DH at bats if they don’t add a FA. He can probably do it well at low cost, freeing up more $$ to address pitching.
Deserved that shot last year.
wonder if someone tries to take Connor Joe again in this year’s draft. there actually looks like a lot of repeat candidates this year.
So you mention Dane Dunning and Zack Burdi coming off TJ surgery but they aren’t the only ones on that list for the Sox coming off of that. Jimmy Lambert had it back in June.
“well-regarded pitching prospects on the mend from Tommy John surgery”
Simple answer. Jimmy Lambert isn’t a well-regarded pitching prospect.
Chalmers was a great get by MIN
Royals continue to give their horrible early draft choices chances, even when no other team would claim them. Worst scouting department in MLB.
What has happened to Zack Cozart? Is is he on the active roster?
Why is Rutherford’s AA line considered disappointing and Tyler Nevin’s AA line isn’t?
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